Excessive buildings insurance arranged by flat management company

Danni061982

I own a flat and a share of the freehold for the flats in my block. There is a management company who we pay to maintain the communal grounds and arrange our buildings insurance etc. I live on the first floor and recently I had a leak in one of my pipes in my kitchen which I was unaware of and has caused damage to the kitchen of the flat below me. I have spoken to the management company to organise an insurance claim and they have told me that the excess I would need to pay is £5000. Nobody was aware that the excess was so high and I am a single person with a mortgage and I do not know how I will afford to pay this. Currently my neighbour is looking to get a quote of the repairs but as he said he needs a new kitchen I am not sure if this will be below the insurance excess or not.
I brought my flat in 2012, around 6 months later there was a mains water leak from the flat above mine, into mine and caused damage to three flats and our management company have said that this is the reason for the high excess.
Surely £5000 is still excessive as I thought excess was supposed to be affordable? Also are the management company not in breach of anything as I would have thought that they should have let the residents know the insurance details and excesses.

brightontraveller

Danni061982 wrote: »

I own a flat and a share of the freehold for the flats in my block. There is a management company who we pay to maintain the communal grounds and arrange our buildings insurance etc. I live on the first floor and recently I had a leak in one of my pipes in my kitchen which I was unaware of and has caused damage to the kitchen of the flat below me. I have spoken to the management company to organise an insurance claim and they have told me that the excess I would need to pay is £5000. Nobody was aware that the excess was so high and I am a single person with a mortgage and I do not know how I will afford to pay this. Currently my neighbour is looking to get a quote of the repairs but as he said he needs a new kitchen I am not sure if this will be below the insurance excess or not.
I brought my flat in 2012, around 6 months later there was a mains water leak from the flat above mine, into mine and caused damage to three flats and our management company have said that this is the reason for the high excess.
Surely £5000 is still excessive as I thought excess was supposed to be affordable? Also are the management company not in breach of anything as I would have thought that they should have let the residents know the insurance details and excesses.

Look at Right to Manage path, under the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act (2002) and look at national leasehold advisory service, Provides plenty of advice and information, Yes the managing agent (sometimes they and freeholder are in cohorts)If they believe leaseholders are dumb and there unscrupulous that's what happens.